This invention relates generally to the field of computer systems. More particularly, a system and method are provided for facilitating collaborative co-browsing of an electronic page.
Data rates experienced by users of the Internet and other networks continue to increase. With the higher data rates comes the ability to share more information faster, and a concomitant increase in the number of users desiring access to shared information. Virtually every computer or computing device is networked or otherwise in communication with one or more other computers—via the Internet, intranets, direct links, etc.
Not only do users desire access to shared information, they often desire such access to be simultaneous or nearly simultaneous. Thus, collaboration between users of interconnected computing devices is of growing interest. Efficient use of online collaboration allows businesses and users to reduce costs, increase productivity, contact new customers, etc. For example, on-line collaboration allows sales and support personnel of an organization to interact amongst themselves and with customers to achieve common goals.
However, in an on-line meeting or other collaboration (e.g., document sharing), participants need to be synchronized very quickly. Any perceived latency in achieving synchronization may degrade the experience. It is thus a challenge to ensure such synchronization using available computing devices and communication networks.
Existing solutions to the need for real-time on-line collaboration have noticeable shortcomings. Many solutions do not scale well beyond a few users; others cannot operate within the context of the users' preferred application; yet others require significant alteration of a user's normal method or mode of operation.
Regarding scalability, one attempted solution to the need for a real-time on-line collaboration system employs URL (Uniform Resource Locator) pushing. In URL pushing, a URL accessed by one user is pushed to one or more other, collaborating, users. However, URL pushing often does not propagate the entire state of the meeting or collaboration. It merely promotes the sharing of a particular URL, which does not ensure that all users receive the same content or have the same experience.
Another proposed solution may attempt to perform most or all necessary processing or computation on one site (e.g., a server). Such processing may include extensive modifications to a web page (e.g., to every link or reference in the page) before the page can be shared. This requires every user to wait for that processing to complete, regardless of the amount of time it takes.
Yet another attempted solution involves application sharing, a mode of operation that consumes a large amount of bandwidth by inefficiently recreating or duplicating, on all users' systems, changes made on one system. For example, the content or information displayed to one user may be painstakingly copied (e.g., pixel by pixel, object by object) and broadcast to all other users. In addition to the inefficient communication strategy, there may be no ability to filter the content being copied from one user to another, to block sensitive or confidential information, for example.
Other solutions require specialized utilities or applications and do not allow collaborating users to employ their normal or preferred applications (e.g., a web browser, a word processor, particular sales or accounting software). Some solutions require users to visit a third party site in order to setup a collaborative session. Existing solutions may also require repeated client or user approval—to download a utility or application or take other action necessary for collaboration. This can become distracting or even disruptive, and further detract from the effectiveness of the collaboration.
Many proposed real-time collaboration systems also do not provide for real-time annotation of a collaboration, or attempt to provide such annotation in an inefficient manner. For example, if a number of users collaborate on a document (e.g., to browse or edit it), when one user annotates or marks the document, it is desirable to have those annotations displayed to all users. The one user may highlight a portion of the document, employ a presentation pointer to call attention to a portion of the document, scroll the document, etc. To have a truly collaborative session, all users should receive those annotations in real-time.
Therefore, what is needed is an effective system and method for facilitating real-time on-line collaboration, wherein the amount of information communicated within the system is kept relatively low. What is also needed is a real-time on-line collaboration system and method in which annotations made during the collaboration are duplicated for all users.